A crane, mast or building is an obstacle for a pilot. Which lights should be on them, what color, how strong and at what height, is stated in ICAO Annex 14. When you have to report it and who decides is stated in national regulations that differ from country to country.
This article juxtaposes the two layers. First, the light classes and the height limits of ICAO, which are the technical basis everywhere in Europe. Then, the reporting limits and the competent authorities in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France and Spain. Finally, four questions that help you determine in advance what your project is likely to involve, and where we can help.
ICAO Annex 14 divides obstacle lights into intensity levels: low (32 candelas, continuously red) for obstacles up to 45 meters, medium (2,000 candelas, flashing red) at the top of obstacles from 45 to 150 meters, and high (white, also during the day) above that. That is the technique. Whether to power the lights is determined by the national aviation authority after a notification, and the limit there is in most European countries at 100 meters.
ICAO Annex 14, Part I, Chapter 6, distinguishes low, medium and high intensity, each with one or more types. The intensity is measured in candelas (cd): the light intensity in one direction, not the luminous flux in lumens. A barrier light does not have to illuminate anything; it must be visible from kilometers away. Therefore, 32 candelas are enough for a three-watt lamp.
The pilot must see the highest points and the ends, because those are what he hits first. Hence the fixed positions, whatever the crane type.
On a tower crane, the floodlights are mounted on the cathead or the highest point of the mast, and the L32 lamps are hung at the end of the jib and the counterjib. When the jib rotates, the lamps rotate with it; that is exactly the intention, because the end remains the end.
The intermediate levels of up to 52 meters are derived from ICAO and only come into play above about 100 meters of mast. The CAA in the United Kingdom has literally enshrined that structure in its CAP 1096 directive; most other authorities follow the same logic without writing it down.
The notification is about more than height. Four factors determine what goes on your crane.
ICAO Annex 14 is a recommendation to states, not a law. Each country adapts it to its own rules and chooses the reporting threshold and the authority that decides. The light classes are therefore the same everywhere, not the administration. The following is the status as of September 2026; check the current requirements with the authority for your project.
Objects from 100 meters away, including temporary cranes, must be reported to the Inspectorate for the Environment and Transport (ILT). When reporting, please specify the number and type of obstruction lights. Around Schiphol and Lelystad, building cranes require an environmental permit under the Airport Layout Decree, through the Environmental Office.
The Allgemeine Verwaltungsvorschrift zur Kennzeichnung von Luftfahrthindernissen requires marking from 100 metres outside built-up areas and from 150 metres in cities, and lower within the protection zones of airports. Cranes count as temporary obstacles. The Landesluftfahrtbehörde decides, on advice from DFS.
In Belgium, skeyes assesses cranes and temporary installations around airports; the specification is set out in the circular CIR/GDF-03 of the Directorate-General for Aviation. In the United Kingdom, the CAA requires a notification for cranes exceeding 10 meters within 6 kilometers of an airport and for cranes from 100 meters everywhere, with a minimum of eight weeks’ notice; the CAP directive 1096 describes the structure.
In France, construction works, including mobile ones, require permission from the DGAC starting at 50 meters outside and 100 meters within the built-up area; the designation follows the arrêté of 23 April 2018. In Spain, permission from AESA is required within the airspace restriction zones and for obstacles starting at 100 meters; the lighting is determined by decree.
Practical: record the request in the crane’s schedule, not during the build week. The authority will determine what the crane should carry, and that decision is the document on which you order the lights. Those who do the opposite sometimes buy too much and sometimes the wrong thing.
The Lantern Series covers the two classes of cranes that are equipped with controls around them. All lamps meet ICAO Annex 14, Part I, photometric requirements and FAA types L-810 and L-864. We supply standard versions from stock; the complete description, with specifications and installation, is available on obstruction lighting for cranes.
Medium intensity type A (white), dual-mode white and red, and Ex versions for offshore cranes are available upon request. How we build a crane is described in Which light goes on at what height.
The final answer comes from the authority. With these four questions you know in advance which direction it will go and which set you will include in the planning and budget.
Red obstruction lights are for night and for poor visibility. During the day, a crane is usually marked with color or flags; the red lights are then off, and that is exactly what the dusk switch regulates.
For structures above 150 meters, and sometimes even earlier at an airport, the authority can prescribe white light during the day: medium intensity type A with 20,000 candelas, or a dual-mode version that burns white during the day and red at night.
Daytime white light causes more nuisance to residents than red light at night. Only ask for it if the authority requests it, and then choose an option that switches back when it gets dark.
Why an obstruction light is specified in candela and a floodlight in lumen, and what the difference is.
The limit values per zone, the rules per European country, and what a flashing light means for the residents.
What the protection rating of a lamp should be at 60 meters high, and what the figures mean.
The product page with specifications, build and application: obstruction lighting for cranes.
If you already have the authority’s decision, please send it to us. Then we will tell you which set is suitable, instead of making an estimate in advance.
Lumen is the total amount of light a lamp emits; candela is the luminous intensity in one direction. A floodlight must be visible from a distance, not illuminate anything, and is therefore specified in candela. A L32 of three watts produces well over 32 candela around.
ICAO Annex 14 links the light class to the height of the obstacle above the ground. Up to 45 metres a steady red light of 32 candela is sufficiently visible to a pilot at approach height; above that a stronger, flashing top light is needed because the obstacle enters the flight path earlier.
In most European countries the reporting obligation starts at 100 meters, but around airports, helipads and low-flying routes the limit is lower. In the United Kingdom, within 6 kilometers of an airport, it is already 10 meters. Ask the authority; they decide, including on the lights.
The aviation authority, after the notification or application for a permit. They determine which class, in which positions and whether markings must be made during the day. We advise on the set that meets these requirements and deliver it from stock.
ICAO recognizes medium intensity type C: continuous red, 2,000 candelas. Some authorities allow flashing to cause interference for residents. It is a choice of the authority, not of the client.
For obstacles above 45 meters, ICAO recommends intermediate lights at distances of up to 52 meters, so that the height of the obstacle is visible over its entire length. This is only required for tower cranes with masts of approximately 100 meters or more.
Red obstruction lighting is for nighttime and for poor visibility. During the day, a crane is usually marked with color or flags. For structures above 150 meters, the authority may prescribe white light during the day.
Then a solar package with a panel, battery, and charge controller is the solution. It is dimensioned per project based on the number of lamps and the length of the winter night, and it works without external wiring.
Yes, as soon as they reach the height limit or the zone. A telescopic crane that operates for three days at 80 meters at an airport falls under the same assessment as a tower crane. There is no temporary exemption.
No. We supply the lamps, the control unit and the mounting brackets and advise on the installation. You decide whether to apply for a permit and whether to install the unit yourself or via your crane rental company.
Within one working day, you will receive a proposal for the lamps, positions and control system, as a complete set on a single quote. We usually deliver standard versions from stock. If you already have the authority’s decision, please include it; in that case, the proposal will be final immediately.
